There are more Democratic-leaning states than Republican
ones, a new Gallup poll shows, but solidly red states - a number that includes
Alabama - are gaining on their blue counterparts.

A Jan. 29 Gallup poll shows there are 17 states (including Washington, D.C. area) considered
either solidly Democratic or leaning that way. In comparison, there are 14
solid and mostly Republican states, the majority of which are in the South and the
northwest.

The Democratic advantage is down from a seven-state lead in
2012 and well short of a 30-state lead they enjoyed in 2008.

The poll considered solid states to be those where a party
has a 10 point percentage advantage, while leaning
states are those where one party enjoys at least a 5 point advantage.
Competitive states - which constitute the majority - are those where the
parties are separated by less than 5 points.

Solidly Republican states

Wyoming - which was also recently named the nation's most
conservative state - came in as the most Republican area in the nation, too. The GOP
enjoys a 40 percentage point advantage in the state.

The other solid Republican states and the Republican
advantage in percentage points are:

Utah - 32 percent

North Dakota - 25 percent

Idaho - 24 percent

Kansas - 21 percent

Alaska - 20 percent

South Dakota - 17 percent

Nebraska - 16 percent

Montana - 13 percent

Oklahoma - 13 percent

Alabama - 11 percent

South Carolina - 10 percent

On the other side, Democrats hold the majority in:

District of Columbia - 58 percent

New York - 25 percent

Hawaii - 24 percent

Rhode Island - 23 percent

Massachusetts - 21 percent

Maryland - 20 percent

Vermont 19 percent

California - 18 percent

Illinois - 17 percent

Delaware - 17 percent

New Jersey - 16 percent

Connecticut - 16 percent

New Mexico - 11 percent

The results are from Gallup information gathered throughout
2013 and are based on interviews with more than 178,000 adults within each
state.